We are off! I’m writing this from the front seat of our Nissan Xterra as we drive through broad plains of Kansas.

After Christmas, it was a mad dash to finish getting ourselves and the Xterra ready for our trip.

Some of the things we were doing:

  • Cutting and sewing insulated window blinds to keep peeping Toms out and body heat in while we sleep
  • Adding door hinges to our platform bed to enable easier access to under-bed storage
  • Fixing the plastic molding on the back right car door which had popped out and stopped the door from opening properly. (A remnant of rolling the car last year)
  • Replacing the car battery and wiper blades
  • Finishing a small bit of touchup paint
  • Hanging solar-powered interior Christmas lights
  • Packing, sending Christmas gifts, and giving heartfelt goodbyes

On December 28, 2015 at 3:45PM, we took off. The odometer read 95,716.

It comes as no surprise to many reading this but the weather had been unseasonably warm on the East Coast, this was a real blessing for getting the car ready.

We made it from DC to past Columbus, Ohio on the first day of driving.

Our first night sleeping in our assembled vehicle was great! Our place for the night was a nice clean rest stop off of Interstate 70, it was filled with many trucks and a few other cars. We both slept well. It was, however, pouring down rain. This meant that we had to get ourselves ready (aka changing) and the car ready (blinds) while both being inside the car. It was not particularly graceful and something we’ll be improving.

Notes so far:

  • Gas is really cheap in the middle of the country. (We saw $1.579/gal today)
  • Missouri is flooding really badly.
  • 1,700+ is a large number of miles to be traveling by car

A special thanks to all of you who have signed up for our newsletter so far! We are excited to share this special adventure with each of you.